Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Season 34 Wrap Up - Salem Grabs the Crown!

Salem
Salem Hammer'd Leprechauns (AL)
wvwc9092
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Salem is Your Season 34 Champion!

The Season 34 Playoffs are in the books, and it's Salem that emerges with the Championship trophy, defeating the Florida Sharks in the World Series in 5 games.  Salem has been among the elite teams in Cobbfather for the past few seasons, earning a #1 Power Ranking in Season 32 and 33, as well as twice in Season 34.  #1 ranked teams haven't fared too well in the playoffs in the last 4 seasons, but Salem broke the mold in winning the Season 34 title.  They took out a tough Cheyenne team in the Divisional Round and outlasted an upstart Jackson team in six-game ALCS battle.  The key for Salem this postseason was their outstanding pitching, posting a stellar 2.22 ERA, while still putting up good offensive numbers.  Congrats to wvwc on finally breaking through, leading Salem to its first Cobbfather championship!

Florida and dodgersrays definitely deserves a mention for their continued excellence, reaching the World Series 5 out of the last 9 seasons.  While they haven't won it all yet, many of us have not been there at all, so kudos on this feat of remarkable consistency as one of the NL's best teams.

That does it for Season 34, see you back soon for Season 35!

Saturday, June 17, 2017

Season 34 Award Winners

The winners of the hardware in Season 34 have been announced, let's take a look at the winners!

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
American League - Raul Galvez, Salem - .308 AVG 52 HR 148 RBI 15 SB
The highly decorated Salem Center Fielder finally added an MVP trophy to his award case in Season 34, and his numbers certainly warranted it.  On top of an impressive stat line, Galvez pretty much did it all this season.  He made his 3rd All-Star Game, won the Home Run Derby, won the All-Star Game MVP and won his 5th Silver Slugger.  He also led the AL in Runs, Slugging and OPS.  What a season, indeed!

National League - 
Yoenis Portillo, Buffalo - .320 AVG 21 HR 92 RBI 37 SB
Yasmany Cubillan, Florida - .303 AVG 24 HR 113 RBI 52 SB
NL voters couldn't decide between the two young, speedy stars whose names both begin with Y, so Buffalo's Portillo and Florida's Cubillan will share this season's NL MVP award.  Portillo at just 21 years of age is one of the youngest MVP winners in Cobbfather history.  He also made the All-Star team this season and won a Silver Slugger.  The 24 year-old Cubillan is a 5-tool player who can pretty much do it all.  He also picked up a Silver Slugger award this season.  The future most definitely looks bright for these two youngsters.

CY YOUNG AWARD
American League - Bob Graves, Cheyenne - 21-6 2.56 ERA 226 K
The 27 year-old righty out of Cheyenne, who has already made 5 All-Star teams, finally broke through with 1st Cy Young Award with another phenomenal season.  Graves was the AL leader in Wins and ERA and fell six strikeouts short of the Pitching Triple Crown.  Now that he has his first Cy Young, it will be interesting to see how many more he can rack up, as his ratings are near flawless.

National League - Ryan Fisher, Dover - 15-8 2.63 ERA 199 K
In a season where no NL pitcher finished with more than 16 wins, Fisher emerged at the top of the head to grab his 1st Cy Young Award.  It's a great story for the 36 year-old lefty, who never won a single award or honor entering the season.  He made his first All-Star team this season and led the NL in Strikeouts and Quality Starts which was good enough to bring home the hardware.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
American League - Graham Wallace, Charlotte - .267 AVG 40 HR 96 RBI 12 SB
Wallace was the runaway winner on the AL Rookie of the Year Award, pounding out 40 Home Runs and posting an OPS of over .900.  He also made the All-Star Team and won a Silver Slugger, capping an outstanding rookie campaign.  Judging by his ratings, this could be just the tip of the iceberg for the 25 year-old Charlotte LF, as his ceiling appears to be even higher than the line he posted in Season 34.

National League -
Yasmany Gonzalez, Nashville - 8-8 3.53 ERA 40 SV
Lance Garcia, Cleveland - .283 AVG 30 HR 98 RBI
It's yet another NL awards tie, as the NL Rookie of the Year will also be shared in Season 34. Nashville's closer, Gonzalez, had an outstanding year at the back of the pen, also earning an All-Star appearance. No reason to think he won't continue to thrive going forward, as a RH split that is only good, not great, is the only weakness in his makeup.  The 22 year-old Garcia is an excellent hitting 1st Baseman who should be able to post impressive Average and OBP.   He has good, not plus, power, so 30 HR may be around his ceiling, but he has upside in other categories for sure.

FIREMAN OF THE YEAR
American League - Troy Hudek, Charlotte - 2-1 3.52 ERA 40 SV - 2nd Win
National League - Al Balentien, Monterrey - 2-5 4.95 ERA 47 SV - 1st Win

SILVER SLUGGER AWARDS
American League
DH
Timothy Steinbach
Pawtucket
2nd
C
Victor Roberts
Sacramento
1st
1B
Albert Cruz
Milwaukee
11th
2B
Calvin Hukata
Detroit
2nd
3B
Sean Gosling
Charlotte
1st
SS
Edgardo Melendez
Little Rock
1st
LF
Graham Wallace
Charlotte
1st
CF
Raul Galvez
Salem
5th
RF
Francis King
Salem
4th

National League
P
Kris Saarloos
Dover
1st
C
Derrick Frank
Dover
2nd
1B
Paul Everett
Los Angeles
1st
2B
Yohan Gomez
Buffalo
2nd
3B
Yasmany Cubillan
Florida
2nd
SS
Willie Tejeda
Chicago
3rd
LF
Yoenis Portillo
Buffalo
1st
CF
Gerry Camilli
Florida
2nd
RF
Ahmed Ratliff
Cleveland
3rd

GOLD GLOVE AWARDS
American League
P
Braeden Abercrombie
Sacramento
1st
C
Ordomar Solano
St. Louis
1st
1B
Crash Cepeda
Sacramento
1st
2B
Magglio Guzman
Colorado Springs
1st
3B
Mason Thomas
Detroit
1st
SS
Ubaldo Trevino
Houston
4th
LF
Lon Parkers
St. Louis
1st
CF
Tom Cox
Houston
1st
RF
Leonys Santos
Little Rock
2nd

National League
P Quilvio Odor Montgomery 1st
C Grady Collier Boise 1st
1B Julian Barber Coloardo 2nd
2B George Dubler Nashville 1st
3B Kirt Raggio Cincinnati 1st
SS Jordan Simmons Los Angeles 1st
LF Peter Cone Coloardo 1st
CF Jhoulys Pescado Boise 1st
RF Kenji Iwamura Kansas City 1st

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Season 34 League Leaders

Here's a recap of Season 34's League Leaders!

All-Time Top 5 Performances in Season 34
ShutoutsRandall Washington, Houston - 5 - Tied for 1st All-Time
Quality Starts - Braeden Abercrombie, Sacramento - 30 - Tied for 3rd All-Time

Multiple Category Leaders
Raul Galvez, Salem - 3 - Runs, SLG, OPS
Ahmed Ratliff, Cleveland - 3 - HR, RBI, SLG
Timothy Steinbach, Pawtucket - 2 - HR, RBI
Bob Graves, Cheyenne - 2 - ERA, Wins
Randall Washington, Houston - 2 - CG, Shutouts
Braeden Abercrombie, Sacramento - 2 - Strikeouts, QS
Allen Clark, Cincinnati - 2 - ERA, WHIP
Alfonso Osuna, Richmond - 2 - IP, QS
Don Martin, Chicago - 2 - CG, Shutouts
Ryan Fisher, Dover - 2 - Strikeouts, QS

Complete League Leaders
Offense
American League
Batting Average Ubaldo Alvarez Little Rock .330
Home Runs Timothy Steinbach Pawtucket 53
RBI Timothy Steinbach Pawtucket 164
Stolen Bases Carlos Martis Salem 60
Hits Alex Mercedes Atlanta 195
Runs Raul Galvez Salem 125
OBP Wandy Guillen Cheyenne .429
SLG Raul Galvez Salem .638
OPS Raul Galvez Salem .996
National League
Batting Average Stan Ford Dover .327
Home Runs Ahmed Ratliff Cleveland 56
RBI Ahmed Ratliff Cleveland 136
Stolen Bases Damon Mackowiak Monterrey 71
Hits Willie Tejeda Chicago 202
Runs Edinson Hernandez Montgomery 134
OBP Yoenis Portillo Buffalo .413
SLG Ahmed Ratliff Cleveland .595
OPS Cesar Ozuna Monterrey .946
Pitching
American League
ERA Bob Graves Cheyenne 2.56
Wins Bob Graves Cheyenne 21
Adrian Simon Pawtucket 21
Strikeouts Braeden Abercrombie Sacramento 231
Saves Bob Berg Cheyenne 41
WHIP Steve Sheets Fargo 1.00
Innings Pitched Carlos Colome Salem 255.2
Quality Starts Braeden Abercrombie Sacramento 30
Complete Games Randall Washington Houston 9
Shutouts Randall Washington Houston 5
National League
ERA Allen Clark Cincinnati 2.33
Wins Tony Villanueva Montgomery 16
Rigo Vega Chicago 16
Strikeouts Ryan Fisher Dover 199
Saves Al Balentien Monterrey 47
WHIP Allen Clark Cincinnati 1.07
Innings Pitched Alfonso Osuna Richmond 231.2
Quality Starts Shane Bellhorn Minnesota 26
Alfonso Osuna Richmond 26
Ryan Fisher Dover 26
Complete Games Don Martin Chicago 5
Shutouts Don Martin Chicago 2
Hugh Sexton Nashville 2
Dante O'Connor Montgomery 2

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Season 34 Final Power Rankings

Delayed, due to a busy schedule, but here they are!

Biggest Climbers: #12 Buffalo (+7), #24 Sacramento (+7), #21 Milwaukee (+6)

Biggest Falls: #17 Nashville (-10), #32 Atlanta (-8), #31 Colorado Springs (-5), #5 Salem (-4)

Pitching Offense LAST PER
Team  W L PREV Rank Chg Rank Chg W L
1 Houston 102 60 3 1 0 7 0 28 11
2 Florida 108 54 4 8 -3 6 4 27 13
3 Cheyenne 99 63 6 6 2 5 3 27 12
4 Monterrey 103 59 2 11 -2 2 1 24 15
5 Salem 102 60 1 4 2 3 -2 18 22
6 Cincinnati 95 67 5 4 0 13 0 23 16
7 Fargo 96 66 9 2 1 23 1 27 12
8 Pawtucket 89 73 11 11 3 11 6 25 14
9 Montgomery 94 68 10 15 -4 4 0 24 16
10 Minnesota 91 71 8 7 0 14 2 22 18
11 Jackson 88 74 14 9 8 16 -1 23 17
12 Buffalo  82 80 19 17 -3 19 1 22 17
13 Cleveland 81 81 12 22 0 9 0 20 19
14 Detroit 80 82 15 14 5 17 -3 18 22
15 Chicago 76 86 13 23 -2 8 -2 18 22
16 Charlotte  85 77 16 24 1 18 -7 19 20
17 Nashville 88 74 7 24 -10 9 -4 14 26
18 Boston  81 81 17 19 -9 14 4 16 23
19 Los Angeles 74 88 21 13 5 21 0 18 21
20 Dover 79 83 18 16 -3 20 -2 18 21
21 Milwaukee 72 90 27 18 8 24 0 21 19
22 New York 79 83 20 10 2 29 -1 16 24
23 St. Louis 71 91 22 3 -1 32 0 17 23
24 Sacramento 71 91 31 27 3 25 2 25 14
25 Colorado 61 101 25 32 0 1 1 15 24
26 Kansas City 70 92 23 20 0 27 -4 17 23
27 Portland 64 98 30 29 -2 28 2 21 19
28 Richmond 67 95 28 21 1 31 -2 14 25
29 Little Rock 61 101 29 31 0 11 1 14 26
30 Boise 61 101 32 28 0 30 1 19 21
31 Colorado Springs 65 97 26 30 -1 22 4 13 27
32 Atlanta  57 105 24 26 -2 26 -4 9 30